90 Second Newbery

Check this out: Friend and fellow YA author, James Kennedy‘s latest brainchild is a cool little contest, and it goes like this:

In 2011, the Newbery Award turns 90 years old (sort of; it started in 1922, which I think makes it’s 89, but who’s counting?).

In any case, James struck on the idea to host a contest (with the help of the New York Public Library), in which children make a video adaptation of their favourite Newbery Award-winning book. But here’s a catch…

Each video can be no longer than 90 seconds. Think it can’t be done? Then you’d best watch the first entry for A Wrinkle in Time, produced by a group of local kids in James’ native Chicago (below). According to James, “it turns out that any book, no matter how worthy and somber, becomes pleasingly ludicrous when compressed into 90 seconds.”

The deadline for entries is Sep 15, 2011. So if you have some kids lying around, scrape ‘em off the floor and put them to work—writing, adapting and filming their own 90 Second Newbery. Full details about the contest are here.

4 THOUGHTS TO " 90 Second Newbery "

Hi Paul, I’ve been meaning to stop by your blog for ages. That is an awesome idea a video of a book in 90 seconds. My kids are a bit young they would dawdle too much I loved, loved, loved Zorgamazoo. Ishta introduced me to it and ever since I’ve been writing a rhyming story myself. Thanks so much for the inspiration and good luck with your latest book.

It would certainly be up there as my first choice to do in 90 seconds. In any case, it’s a stellar idea; looking forward to future entries. Hope things are on track with the new novel…looking forward to that, too!